5 Editors Reveal What Happened When They Rekindled Their First Love

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. That's why we've partnered with Forever My Girl, in theaters Jan. 19, to share the joy and complexity of reconnecting with your first love.

You'll always cherish the memories of your first love. After all, who could forget the excitement of your very first date, or that evening when your significant other caught you by surprise with that memorable first kiss under the stars? However, returning to those halcyon days by reconciling with your ex isn't always the storybook reunion you might imagine. Inspired by the story of first love reignited in Forever My Girl, we asked our editors to reveal what happened when they reconnected with their exes. Before you text your ex to fan the flames of your relationship — or try to reinstate your friendship — read on to learn how it worked out for our editors!

An Empowering Split

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“My first love and I randomly reconnected after two years, but the entire thing was like history repeating itself. The first time we dated, we ended up both heading off to college, and this time, I was preparing to follow my dreams across the country. But not only was this a ‘wrong place, wrong time’ situation, hanging out again reminded me how much we'd grown apart — and how different our goals were — in those years in between. While the first breakup left me in tears at an airport, this time I was the one to make the call and break it off. It was SO liberating, and I felt strong, powerful, and ready to move forward — solo.” — Carrie Carrollo, assistant native editor

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A Fulfilling Friendship

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“My last two years of high school involved endless flirtation online and IRL with my crush, but the timing was always wrong. Left unresolved, whenever we were both single and home from college, we'd meet up with friends, and the feelings would come flooding back. Nothing too serious ever happened, but after a bad breakup in my mid-20s, I found myself dating him — we even went on a trip together. My friends were all in shock. Could it actually stick this time? Nope, of course it didn't. But after some time off, we both wound up incredibly happy in serious relationships that worked and managed to become simply friends. We don't see each other often, but we'll text on occasion, and it's nice to chat since there's a lot of history, and we've known each other forever. Amusingly, his mom remains my #1 fan and is often first to like my Facebook posts. What can I say? I'm good with parents.” — Joanna Douglas, senior native editorial director

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A Fateful Ride

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“Even though it didn't work out between me and my first grade crush, I'm convinced we're star-crossed lovers. Ben was my very first crush when I was six years old, and I spent a year admiring him from across the playground. The next year, he transferred to a different elementary school, and I thought I would never see him again. Then, in eighth grade, I befriended a girl who had recently transferred to my middle school. We quickly became best friends, and I discovered that Ben had actually transferred to her school all those years ago, where the two of them became friends. A few years later in high school, I started dating a boy and soon after learned that he and Ben were actually best friends outside of school. It's been 20 years since my schoolgirl crush, so imagine my utter surprise at discovering him in the elevator of the building where I now work, where he also works. Whether it's coincidence or fate, it seems pretty clear we just can't get away from one another!” — Stephanie Nguyen, associate editor

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A Regrettable Reunion

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“So when I was in high school I started dating this guy who was two years older than me (I'm so cool, I know) and totally fell for him. He was my first substantial crush and I was pretty much obsessed with him. We dated briefly, and then he left for college. Fast forward two years, and I was also in college. He hit me up to go out to lunch while we were both on break, and I was totally pumped! I was like 'Oh yeah, bet you regret losing me!' He came to pick me up for lunch and as soon as I buckled my seat belt, he tried to start smooching me (aka jump my bones) in the driveway of my parents' house. Long story short, he wasn't really interested in going to lunch if you catch my drift. He works at Apple and still tried to hit me up from time to time until I told him I was engaged and to bug off. Exes are exes for a reason!!!” — Murphy Moroney, assistant editor

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An Unexpected Connection

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"My boyfriend and I were best friends for years before we started dating. I moved to Chicago while he was still living in our home state of Arizona when he decided to take a trip to visit me in my new city. Little did I know, it was that trip that would make me wonder why we haven't been dating all these years and ultimately changed everything! While our relationship didn’t start in the most conventional of ways, we have a strong foundation built on our friendship. Two years into a happy relationship, I can finally understand why Monica and Chandler fell for each other; nothing can compare to being in love with your best friend." — Audrey Hirschl, project manager

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Watch the Trailer For Forever My Girl and See It in Theaters Jan. 19

Forever My Girl tells the story of country music super-star Liam Page (Alex Roe) who left his bride, Josie (Jessica Rothe), at the altar choosing fame and fortune instead. However, Liam never got over Josie, his one true love, nor did he ever forget his Southern roots in the small community where he was born and raised. When he unexpectedly returns to his hometown for the funeral of his high school best friend, Liam is suddenly faced with the consequences of all that he left behind.